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John Tartaglia
John Tartaglia (b. February 16, 1978) is a puppeteer and actor whose professional career started on Sesame Street, subsequently leading to Broadway stardom and a Tony-award for originating the roles of Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q, off- and on-Broadway, and in the short-lived Las Vegas production. __TOC__ As a teenager, Tartaglia danced as Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch at Sesame Place. He subsequently began on Sesame Street at the age of 16, performing background characters and assisting.Season 36 Press Kit (archived) Tartaglia was a regular puppeteer for the series through Season 35, though he has returned occasionally for different projects. His later roles included Brandeis the dog in Episode 4307, Birdie in the resource video Little Children, Big Challenges: Divorce, and various characters for "Elmo the Musical." He has also lent his vocals to inserts, such as "Brothers and Sisters" with Stephanie D'Abruzzo . Tartaglia's production company, Gables Grove Productions, has produced several stage shows; including live versions of Sid the Science Kid and Dinosaur Train, and Elmo the Musical Live! for Sesame Place.Gables Grove Productions - official site (archived) Tartaglia has also collaborated with the Henson Company on the live shows Jim Henson's Musical World (which he conceived, directed and hosted) and Jim Henson's Inspired Silliness, and on the PBS series Splash and Bubbles. Other stage credits include playing Pinocchio and the Magic Mirror in Shrek on Broadway and Lumiere in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast. He also portrayed the role of the Genie in a 2012 St. Louis production of Disney's Aladdin and directed Because of Winn-Dixie, with a real dog on stage. Tartaglia hosts Sunday Funday on Sirius XM On Broadway (Channel 72). Tartaglia had his own Disney Channel TV series, Johnny and the Sprites, where he starred on-camera opposite puppets played by veteran Sesame Muppeteers. He discussed the experience in a TV Guide interview: Muppet Credits .]] * Sesame Street: Alfred Duck, Phoebe, Pipe Organ, Trey, the Martians, Brandeis * The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: Bird, Delivery Man * Animal Jam: DJ 2 * Play with Me Sesame: Ernie (season 2 and select part of website) * Sesame English: Tingo * Music Works Wonders: Hoots the Owl (puppetry only) * Peter and the Wolf: Muppet Performer, Cameo as an audience member * Dog City: Additional Puppeteer * Bear in the Big Blue House: Additional Puppeteer * A Is for Asthma: Additional Puppeteer * A Cathedral Christmas: Additional Puppeteer * CinderElmo * Three Bears and a New Baby: Additional Puppeteer * Elmo's World: Wild Wild West! * Elmopalooza: Additional Puppeteer * Elmo's World: Computer Graphic Puppeteer *''Between the Lions: guest ''Sesame Street puppeteer (Elmo/Bert "Dance with Smartypants" segments) * Journey to Ernie: Circus Duck (voice) * Elmo the Musical: Giant Octopus, Fastest-Drawing Fred, Royal Guard, The Man in the Sleeveless Undershirt, Rhombus of Recipes * Little Children, Big Challenges: Divorce: Birdie * Fraggle Rock-A-Thon promos: Gobo Fraggle Trivia and Red Fraggle doll, as seen on the Being Elmo DVD.]] * According to The MuppetCast episode #41, Tartaglia's biggest inspiration in performing was Richard Hunt. * Tartaglia says Ernie is his favorite Sesame character. "I was really honored to do Ernie for one season of Play with Me Sesame. Jim Henson was my hero, and the reason I am here now. So to actually have his character and to work with it and that voice and to make that relationship happen with Bert, I was just really honored. You feel like you are a part of history." * In 1990, TV series MMC had a contest to meet Jim Henson and the other Muppet*Vision 3D puppeteers while they were filming. Producers say John lost to Joe Apel, due to the fact Apel was close to Los Angeles. * An interview with Tartaglia was included as a bonus feature for the Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey DVD. See also *John Tartaglia Cameos Sources External links * Tough Pigs Interview * "Johnny and the Sprites" on Disney Channel (archived) *Stephanie D'Abruzzo and John Tartaglia interview at American Theatre Wing *Internet Broadway Database *IMDb __NOWYSIWYG__ Category:Muppet Performers Category:Animated Voice Actors Category:Directors